A Scottish Family Portrait (2010-2011)

presents families from Scotland.

In 2009 the Scottish National Portrait Gallery commissioned the German artist, Verena Jaekel, to produce a series of portraits of Scots of Pakistani heritage.

For thousands of years communities from elsewhere have settled in Scotland while native Scots have moved abroad. Migrants both into and out of Scotland continue to shape the nation. One of the nation’s largest ethnic groups, Scotland’s Pakistani community has contributed both culturally and economically to Scottish life. This exhibition continues the Gallery’s commitment to commissioning portraits of individuals who have played a distinctive role in Scottish society.

As in her previous projects, Jaekel chooses the family portrait to explore both personal and social identities. The family unit, in all its forms, is one with which we can all identify. In these photographs, differences and similarities play between relationships and across generations. Featuring fourteen families and eighty-seven sitters, Jaekel’s portraits construct a vision of a confident and diverse Scottish community.